Explore Featured Degree Options in Education

The online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education prepares you to become a transformative K–12 teacher. Through live online classes and enriching field experiences in your community, you can earn your MAT in less than 18 months without relocating.

Vanderbilt University's Peabody College offers an online Master of Education in human development counseling with a specialization in school counseling for students interested in becoming school counselors and making a meaningful difference in K–12 settings.

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Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Wisconsin

Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Last update: 02/25/2019)

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Prerequisite Coursework in Wisconsin

Generally, states require that certified teachers hold, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree. Many states also have undergraduate credit hour requirements for certification in specialty areas. Wisconsin does not list specific course or credit hour requirements, although every college or university teacher preparation program will have requirements of its own. Contact your teacher preparation program or the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for more information.

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Wisconsin Teacher Certification Programs

Teacher education programs usually consist of a combination of curricula and fieldwork. Coursework often includes instruction on foundational knowledge, skills, and pedagogy (the art and science of teaching) as well as preparation in researching, designing and implementing learning experiences in various fields of study. The fieldwork component often includes class observation, student teaching or internships.

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Required Tests for Wisconsin

In order to become a certified teacher in Wisconsin, you must satisfactorily complete: a basic skills test, such as the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators series; the relevant content tests, such as the Praxis II series; and, if instructing elementary education, special education or reading, the Foundations of Reading Test for Wisconsin.

Initial Teaching Certifications

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction issues new teachers their Initial Teaching Licenses, which are valid for five years and are non-renewable, except under extenuating circumstances as a one-year extension. After at least three years of teaching, teachers may advance to their Professional Educator Licenses, which are also valid for five years and are renewable. The department also offers the Master Educator License, which is valid for 10 years and renewable, to teachers who hold a Professional Educator License and have successfully completed either their national board certification or their Wisconsin master educator assessment process.

Earn recognition of your ability to develop and deliver a memorable teaching experience when you receive a premier certificate from Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, in association with HarvardX, upon successful course completion.

Alternative Certification in Wisconsin

Wisconsin allows for the development and approval of alternative programs for Initial Teaching Licenses. These programs must be pre-approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and many are dedicated to licensure in shortage areas. A list of approved alternative programs in Wisconsin can be found on the state Department of Public Instruction’s website.

Wisconsin Teacher Salary and Incentives

According to data from the National Education Association, Wisconsin ranked 24th among states for average teacher salary in 2018, coming in at $54,998. Wisconsin school districts increase their teachers’ salaries according to their years of experience and the advanced degrees they’ve earned.

Wisconsin Teacher Shortage Areas

A teacher shortage area is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as “an area of specific grade, subject matter or discipline classification, or a geographic area in which … there is an inadequate supply of elementary or secondary school teachers.” The Department allows states to identify their own teacher shortage areas, but encourages them to follow a prescribed methodology based on unfilled teaching positions, teaching positions filled by instructors with irregular certifications, and positions filled by teachers certified in other subject areas.

Career and Technology Education

Agriculture

Business Education

Family and Consumer Education (FACE)

Marketing Education

Technology Education

Special Education

Cognitive Disabilities

Cross Categorical

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Early Childhood–Special Education

Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Learning Disabilities

School Speech and Language Disabilities

Visual Disabilities

Standard Disciplines

ESL/Bilingual Education

Foreign Languages

Library Media

Mathematics

Music

Reading

Sciences

Financial Aid in Wisconsin

There are several forms of aid available to teachers pursuing their Master’s in Teaching. The TEACH Grant, for example, offers financial aid in return for teaching full time in a high-need field at a low-income school for at least four academic years. Similarly, the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program allows teachers to teach full-time at a low-income school for five years in exchange for forgiveness of up to $17,500 of student loans. The college or university where you plan to attain your master’s degree may also offer its own aid.

Career Advancement

Professional Development for Wisconsin Teachers

Wisconsin teachers are required to obtain six professional development credits according to a previously developed Professional Development Plan in order to renew their teaching licenses for five years. Courses for professional development credits are offered both online and at local colleges and universities in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website provides detailed information on the state professional development process.

Benefits of a Master's Degree in Wisconsin

Earning a Master’s in Teaching will increase your salary in some school Wisconsin districts. In the Milwaukee School District, master’s holders earn at least $3,000 more than their bachelor’s-only peers.

Explore Featured Program Options in Education

The online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the USC Rossier School of Education prepares you to become a transformative K–12 teacher. Through live online classes and enriching field experiences in your community, you can earn your MAT in less than 18 months without relocating.

The 8-week Teaching and Learning Strategies for Higher Education online short course is delivered by Harvard’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, in association with HarvardX. Students in this course will engage deeply with the most relevant research on effective teaching methods in the higher education context, while refining their own practices, portfolio, and teaching philosophy.

Vanderbilt University's Peabody College offers an online Master of Education in human development counseling with a specialization in school counseling for students interested in becoming school counselors and making a meaningful difference in K–12 settings.